The Eile Project

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Experiment 1

Borderlines
Muff to Strabane / Summer 2011

Borderlines took place over the course of a single day. Paula, Sam, our 1 year old, 9 year old and 2 month old drove and walked over/across/to/between/beside/on top of/beyond/around/away from the border. X didn't mark the spot, there was no discernible line. As we drove into Muff, one the most northern border towns, our mobile phones beeped, signalling the change in territory. Other markers helped distinguish the change of place. Road signs changed. English was still present, but now accompanied by another language, less familiar. Miles became kilometres, money changed value. The people looked the same, as did the buildings, the landscape the smells, colours, air.

This is an expression of nomadic activism that emerged from a heightened awareness of territoriality that stems from a relation with Ireland, a country once unified as an island now divided and differently unified, whether that be as part of the UK or the European Union.